The Price of Magic
by Aria6
Summary: Roxas meets a new Axel, from the same people and land as the original one... but he's not the same person, and Sora needs to go home. Axel/Roxas, going to be rather angsty in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

His name was Axel.

There was nothing at all odd about that. It was an extremely common name. So common it was annoying… there was nothing like having the teacher call 'Axel!' and have five boys respond.

The red hair and green eyes weren't at all common, nor the facial markings. But they were typical for a blood witch. That was the generic term for anyone, male or female, who could work the ancient blood magic.

Once, his family had been respected landholders. Blood magic could be used to make the land more fruitful and keep it that way, along with careful agriculture, so they had been very well off.

Unfortunately, blood magic also had other applications. The story of the Blood King and his reign of terror was taught in school. Blood magic could be used to strengthen the body and live past a normal lifetime… if you were willing to take the blood from someone else. His family had never done that, and in the revolution they'd managed to hang onto the manor and grounds. But only that… the tenant lands had been given to the farmers, so they had immediately gone from well off to destitute. They had been able to hunt the woods and sell the lumber, but it fetched a poor price. The manor house had gradually fallen into disrepair.

By the time Axel was born, the manor had been abandoned completely and he and his mother lived in the small gardeners cottage on the property. The land rights didn't mean much anymore since they couldn't stop anyone else from hunting, and the local sheriff wasn't going to enforce the poaching laws, but his mother made ends meet somehow.

But people came and went, and gradually the farmers that had grudgingly tolerated them had been replaced with ones who didn't. Axel didn't know who had murdered his mother, and he never would. The investigation had been short and desultory, and resulted in the conclusion that his mother had been killed by a 'drifter.' Axel hadn't been stupid, so he'd sold what was left of the estate for the pittance that was all anyone would offer and had gone to the city.

In the city, he'd managed to buy a sturdy little cottage in a bad part of town. He fit in pretty well there. His red hair marked him as an outcast, but that actually helped, and blood magic was very good for healing. He fixed up some of the local gang members on occasion in return for protection. And sometimes, he did a bit of healing for the people in his neighborhood who were willing to part with a few coins and trust a blood witch. Mostly, though, he worked down at the docks as a carpenter. He was good with his hands and had always loved wood, so it worked. It was a simple life and he didn't have much extra, but he was getting by.

He never anticipated it being turned upside down in a single day.

* * *

"Hurry up and wait." Axel sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair as he half-closed his vibrant green eyes. He'd gotten out plenty early for the yearly property payments, but he was still six people back. He pitied the people at the end of the line… it was starting to snake around the block. On the other hand, they shouldn't have waited so late.

The line progressed quickly, and he'd finished paying his fees and was walking away when he heard an exclamation. Frowning, he turned his head and saw people backing away from the side of the road. He caught the word 'plague' and hesitated before walking over. Blood witches were largely immune to disease, and if there was something he could do to help…

He blinked as he spotted the blond boy, curled up and semi-conscious on the ground. Axel knelt down beside him, feeling for a pulse, and was relieved to find it was strong and steady. A quick check with his other senses was reassuring.

"There's no disease here. He's just taken a blow." Axel was able to say to the onlookers, and there was a small huff of relief before everyone continued what they were doing. Disease was feared but being hit over the head in an alley was business as usual. And having blood witches around was useful for detecting disease, even if they couldn't do too much to cure it. Axel looked down at the boy thoughtfully. He was rather cute, in a young way, and his clothing was strange but fine. If he left the child here, he'd wake up naked if he woke up at all. "Aw… hell." Grinning at himself, he picked the boy up, standing with a grunt. The kid was heavier than he looked.

It wasn't the first time he'd rescued a stray. He'd take this one home, clean him off and see what he had. Maybe it would be interesting.


	2. Xephras the Smiling

Roxas opened his eyes with a groan to see old, weathered wood. He stared at the ceiling blankly for a moment, then looked around.

He was in a tidy little room with cream walls. A small, rather ugly picture was stuck haphazardly on one, and Roxas immediately felt the need to right it. Suppressing the urge, he glanced down at the bed he was in… he was tucked under a warm, dark green coverlet. He pushed himself up on one elbow, and winced. His body hurt in new and unexpected ways. In particular, there was an ache between his thighs.

Pushing himself up, he groaned in pain and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he turned his attention inwards. This wasn't right. He was part of Sora, and after DiZ had reconstructed him they'd pretty much melted together. He wasn't supposed to be independent.

Yet now he was, which meant Sora was… less. And where was Sora? Roxas looked inside himself and immediately found his other. And knew that something was very, very wrong.

It felt like Sora had tucked himself into a ball like a cat, and pulled his tail in after. Roxas frowned, poking and prodding but getting exactly nowhere. Whatever Sora was doing… or trying to avoid… he wanted to be left alone. Which meant that Roxas had been left holding the bag. He wondered, uneasily, if the pain he was feeling had something to do with that.

Then someone entered the room, and all his thoughts vanished as he gaped.

"Axel?!?" He said, astonished, and the redheaded man blinked.

"Uh… yeah. How did you know? We haven't met, have we?" Roxas' mouth clicked shut as he suddenly realized that as similar as this man looked, he wasn't the Axel Roxas knew. There were subtle differences. The eyes were just a shade lighter, and the marks on his cheeks looked more like teardrops than stars. But he was so similar…

"I… I knew someone by that name. He looked just like you." The man seemed to accept that readily.

"Axel's a really common name around here. And we might have been related. I have a cousin who vanished a while back… we figured the damn pyro probably set something on fire he shouldn't have and needed to make a break for it." Roxas swallowed hard at that. "Maybe that was him… anyway, what's your name?"

"Roxas." He replied, getting back his composure. "Can you tell me where I am? I'm… kind of lost." Roxas frowned as he suddenly realized he needed to get back to the Destiny Islands. Really, really needed it. That feeling was coming from Sora but Sora himself was still curled up. What was going on?

"Oh! You're in New Linchester." Axel said, sitting down on the end of the bed. Roxas frowned a moment, then realized there was no other furniture in this room. "Where are you from?" Roxas hesitated. Should he lie or tell the redhead the truth? Might as well go for the truth.

"I'm from another world, actually. It's called the Destiny Islands. I'm not sure how I ended up here, but I need to go back." Axel blinked at that and eyed him dubiously. Roxas smiled, unsurprised at the reaction. "I might be able to prove it. Do you know what keyblades are?"

"No. What?" Axel wasn't sure if he was dealing with something wonderfully interesting… or a simple lunatic. There were certainly enough of those around. But his eyes widened as Roxas slipped out of bed, and summoned in his two keyblades. "Er… wow. That's cool." He eyed the blades carefully, then tentatively reached out to the black one… and pulled his hand back as if it had been burned. "Ow!" He examined his finger. There was a welt on it. Roxas looked at Oblivion, a little puzzled.

"It's never done that before." Axel shrugged, sucking on his finger a moment.

"I've done worse on a stove. Well… okay then. You're from another world and you need to get back. Any idea how?" He decided he was going to accept the thing on face value. Two magical weapons were clearly out of the ordinary. Roxas could still be loony toons, but it was less likely. Roxas frowned, thinking about it.

"…No." He had no idea. He couldn't use the corridors of darkness anymore and he didn't have a gummi ship. How was he supposed to get out of here? Axel suddenly grinned at him.

"Well, I guess that's where I come in!" Roxas looked at him blankly as Axel rubbed his hands together. "Unlike my pyro cousin, I am a certified, grade A blood witch. Or I would be if we had certification which we don't. But anyway, if I put my mind to it I can do anything. So, I'll find a way to get you home. How does that sound?" Roxas looked at him dubiously.

"How long will it take?" He asked, and Axel frowned then.

"We-ell… I have a job. Um… a year?" Roxas stared at him, appalled. "Okay… not a year. Um. If you want me to do it fast, I'm going to have to concentrate on nothing else. That means you'll have to take care of the bills." Axel frowned at him thoughtfully. "I'm guessing you can fight? Are you any good?" Roxas snorted at that.

"I'm good." He didn't add anything more, and Axel smiled.

"That means you're really good. Are you okay with stealing and strong arming people? No huge moral qualms or religious vows?" Roxas gave him a look that indicated he was questioning Axel's sanity. "Alright. I'll take you to see our friendly neighborhood street gang. They'll have a place for you, I guarantee it." Axel jumped up off the bed and headed out. Roxas followed, wondering exactly what he was getting into… and why this stranger was helping him.

But he didn't have much choice.

* * *

Axel glanced back at the blond as they walked, thinking.

Roxas was… cute. Really, really cute. Axel already had designs on him but needed to make sure the other was into guys. It would be a shame to ruin a possible friendship over lust. But if Roxas really was buddies with his cousin, he was probably into guys.

Axel remembered his cousin clearly, although not entirely fondly. His cousin had gotten into a lot of trouble at home, and had been sent to spend an entire summer with him and his mother. Two Axel's in the same house had been annoying, but the way his cousin had gotten him into neverending trouble had been worse. Yet… it had been the best fun he'd ever had in his life, even if his mom had reddened his backside at least a dozen times before it was over. His cousin had been a firestarter, which meant he had very little of the traditional blood magic. Fire was a common gift, but it interfered with blood magic.

Axel wondered what possessed him to make such wild promises to Roxas. He wanted to impress the kid, but… he knew he was taking it a bit far. Blood magic could do anything, but only at a price. And the bigger the magic, the bigger the price. The old blood witches had gotten around that by making someone else pay it, but that was outlawed for a damn good reason. Even voluntary contributions were outlawed. It was a slippery slope from giving to taking.

Axel avoided an oxen drawn cart easily, and yanked Roxas aside as a messenger blew past on a fast horse, shouting a curse at them. The streets were busy this time of day. A hard faced, older woman leaned off a balcony and called down to them, but Axel shook his head with a grin. Roxas seemed unsurprised by it all, and Axel wondered what the Destiny Islands were like.

The building he finally brought Roxas to was an old warehouse. It was no longer being used for that but was clearly being kept in good repair, and Axel opened the door, letting himself in. A buzz of conversation inside ceased for a moment, then started again as the people inside saw who it was.

There were perhaps a dozen people in a building that had once held hundreds of workers, but it was clear that they needed the room. They had turned it into a large practice arena. Practice weapons clashed together, and so did live weapons, used by the more experienced. Most of the practice continued uninterrupted, but in one corner a large, burly man signaled a halt. His opponent, a slight man with startling purple hair and an odd metal cuff around his throat, pulled away immediately. The two of them walked over and stopped in front of Axel and Roxas. Roxas frowned, looking the man over. He had short, spiky blond hair and dark brown eyes, threaded with gold. He also looked older… perhaps forty, Roxas thought. He looked like the oldest person in here. The man with the purple hair was smiling.

"Axel! Good to see you. We were going to call on you soon, actually. Mina managed to cut herself on a rusty plank and she isn't doing so well." His eyes turned to Roxas, and he looked him over thoughtfully. "Who is this?"

"This is Roxas, Albert. But could I see Mina first? How long ago was she hurt?" Axel sounded concerned, and Albert nodded.

"Right over here. She was hurt two days ago." He led them to a girl sleeping in a pile of blankets, and shook her shoulder to wake her. She had straight cut black hair, and looked heartbreakingly young. She looked up at Axel and immediately pulled aside the blankets, revealing that was wearing no pants… and had a long gash in her left leg. It had been stitched up but looked inflamed. Axel knelt down and touched her thigh, looking away thoughtfully.

"It's starting to get infected, but it's not bad yet. I should be able to handle it, no problem." Roxas watched curiously as Axel pulled out a small wooden stick with a very sharp point, then blinked as he stabbed himself in the arm with it. Blood welled up, and Axel carefully used it to paint a small rune on the girl's leg. Then he tapped it, and the blood seemed to flare into ash, the rune vanishing. The wound suddenly looked a lot better, as if several days of healing had happened immediately. All the inflammation was gone. "That should do it."

"Thank you." The girl said in a soft, breathy voice, and smiled at Axel. Then she stood, reaching over for her pants. He smiled back.

"So what did you come here for, Axel?" Albert asked curiously as Axel stood.

"I'm here for Roxas, actually." Axel explained. "Roxas, this is Albert and his second in command, Xephras the Smiling." Roxas eyed Xephras uneasily. True to his name, the man had never stopped smiling since they entered the warehouse. It was very odd and a little disconcerting.

"Please call me Xep." He said, and his voice was genuinely cheerful. Roxas nodded.

"Roxas here has two magical blades and needs a job." Axel got right to the point. "He says he's pretty good with them." The two looked at Roxas, interested, and he took the hint and called in his keyblades again. Albert's looked shocked, but Xephras smile widened.

"Oh, that's neat." Xephras said with a small laugh, and lifted his hand. Roxas stepped back as it was filled with a keyblade. "I never showed you this, did I Axel? I've never heard of someone having two before, though." Roxas looked at Xephras keyblade thoughtfully. The keyblade revealed a great deal about the person who held it, and Xephras keyblade was… pink. Very pink, with a bit of blue frosting, shaped into a stylized key with odd, pointy teeth. And the handle had a guard made of drops of different colored glass. It was very… colorful, and felt very light. But there was a strange darkness about it, as if the lightness was simply a… lack of caring. Roxas frowned as he tried to understand. "You're wondering about my keyblade. Everyone does that. It's reflecting the fact that I'm a happy go lucky person with no moral sense at all." Xephras explained cheerfully. "It's called the Clown Key. Clowns can be scary!"

"In other words, he's a freak." Albert said briskly. "We'll have to see what you can do before we take you. Xephras, test him." Xephras nodded slightly, a bit hampered by his metal collar, and the two keyblade wielders squared off in an unused part of the warehouse.

They circled each other warily for a moment, but then Xephras suddenly launched an attack, leaping forward in a lightning movement. The keyblades clashed for a moment, and then he jumped back as Roxas struck out. The battle quickly turned fast and furious as Xephras attacked unmercifully, throwing Roxas on the defensive.

But that was only temporary, and Roxas quickly regained his balance as he got a feel for Xephras fighting style. It was a little like Larxene when she was in a particularly nasty mood, although Xephras was smiling the whole time. Roxas went on the offensive, the sound of keyblades clashing ringing through the warehouse. He was vaguely aware that everyone else had stopped what they were doing to watch, but Xephras was taking all of his concentration.

Then end, when it came, came quickly. Xephras was too focused on the attack and Roxas saw a weakness. Roxas pretending to leave an opening, and Xephras took it… but it was nothing of the sort, and Roxas trapped his key with Oblivion, then punched him in the stomach with Oathkeeper's hilt. Xephras went flying back, losing his grip on his keyblade, and landed on his back. Rolling over, he gasped then retched, before vomiting on the floor. Roxas blinked, and winced… he hadn't meant to hit the other keyblader that hard, but the fight had gotten really intense. It had been all he could manage to use the hilt and not the blade.

"He's good!" Xephras gasped, looking up at Albert with a wide smile. "Really good!" Albert snorted and tossed him a rag. Xephras rubbed his stomach for a moment, wincing, then started to clean up the mess.

"We guessed. I haven't seen you taken down like that in years." Albert looked at Roxas thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. "You're in. You get an equal share of the loot, and special compensation for anything really difficult. Also, you have the option to pay into the retirement fund if you think you're going to be around a while." Roxas blinked. A retirement fund for a street gang? What were these people?

"I probably won't be around that long, but thank you." Albert nodded.

"You can always change your mind later. Xephras, get him some clothes and show him around." Normally, Albert wouldn't have delegated something that mudane to his second-in-command… but Roxas wasn't at all ordinary, and he already had some ideas on how to use that. Some very interesting ideas. Roxas looked up as a hand touched his shoulder, and saw Axel smiling at him. He smiled back, and it didn't feel strange at all.

"I'll leave you here then. Do you think you can find your way back home?" Roxas frowned. He wasn't sure he could. "Xephras, do you think you could bring him back to my place when you're done?"

"Surely! We need to pay you your retainer anyway." Xephras said cheerfully, tossing the rag in the trash. "Right this way Roxas… owies." He winced as he moved a bit too quickly, then laughed. "Took me down like a raw recruit! I love it."

"You really are a freak, aren't you?" Roxas remarked as Xephras led him to the back of the warehouse. There were rooms there, containing all kinds of interesting things… equipment, weapons, clothing, food. Xephras didn't take offense at all.

"You have no idea. I think I got the keyblade too young. Ten year olds shouldn't be doing stuff like that. Well, that's just how it goes." Roxas blinked at that as Xephras helped him pick out a wardrobe. Ten?

This was going to be an interesting place.


	3. Playing Pretend

Axel tapped his fingers as he looked into a bowl of water, thinking.

He was in his blood witch workroom. Although all that amounted to was a table, a cast iron bowl, a knife, a bunch of papers and a pencil. That was all that was needed for this stage of the blood magic. Axel wished, not for the first time, that he was a complete butterball.

To any non-blood witch, that wish would seem insane. Who wanted to be fat? But a blood witch had to draw energy from somewhere, and if you didn't take it from someone else that only left yourself. Fat, muscle, bone, organs, and of course blood. But blood by itself only worked for smaller things. For the major spells, the easiest and safest thing to burn was fat. A blood mage always wanted to be fat, because a major spell could take it all off in one night. Axel's mother had been good at putting on rolls, but he had been cursed with a high metabolism. The best he could manage was a modest coating, and that burnt away fast.

Sighing, he picked up the knife and quickly opened a vein, letting the blood spill into the water. A tiny bit of magic sealed the cut, and then he peered intently into the water, focusing on what he needed and opening his mind to the possibilities.

It was like entering a tunnel of rubies, glittering with light and darkness. Immediately, Axel knew that what he wanted would require both the light and the darkness… and that was bad. Light was always hard to work with and they were even harder combined. The first rune began to form in front of him, and he took a piece of paper, scribbling it down.

There were many, many runes to go. He could feel it.

* * *

Roxas sighed. He was bored. Very, very bored and also uncomfortable.

He, Xep and Mina had been sitting on the top of this building for hours. They were very patiently watching a building across the way. Eventually, their mark would have to leave it. But Roxas was beginning to think he was planning to sleep there. The man was apparently a workaholic, so it was quite possible. To put the cap on it, it had started lightly raining a while ago. Roxas was beginning to feel chilled and Mina was quietly sniffing, rubbing her nose. Only Xep seemed unaffected, still smiling.

"How can you be so cheerful?" He finally asked the purple haired man resentfully. Xep glanced over at him.

"Oh, I have to be." He said cheerfully. "I have a weak blood vessel in the base of my head. If I ever get upset it could rupture and kill me." Roxas gaped at him, shocked. Of all the explanations he could have come up with for Xep's endless smiling, that one would never have occurred to him.

"Are you serious?" He finally asked, and Xep nodded, tapping the metal collar he always wore.

"Yep! This is to protect me from a blow there. Not just a fashion statement!" Roxas glanced at Mina, disbelieving, and she shrugged before stiffening like a terrier scenting a rat.

"Here he comes!" Roxas glanced down and frowned. The mark was a middle-aged man with two bodyguards. The bodyguards looked like overdressed thugs, so he wasn't too worried about them, but he did wish he knew why they were killing the man. On the other hand, did it matter?

_It does matter._ Roxas stiffened, turning his attention inwards for just a second. _Sora?_ Nothing. Had that been Sora's thought or his? It was so hard to tell.

They leapt down as the man passed underneath them. He gaped as he saw Xephras, clearly recognizing him, and tried to say something as the bodyguards attacked… but Xephras wasn't listening, and the three of them simply cut them down. It wasn't as much a fight as an execution, really. The two bodyguards had been no match for two keybladers and a knife fighter of Mina's caliber.

"Sort of pathetic, wasn't it?" Xephras said brightly, cleaning off his keyblade as Roxas frowned at the corpses. "But statements have to be made. Mr. Tall found out he'd been skimming off the take. It might be overkill, but we've definitely made a point." Roxas had to agree with that. Xephras had taken a savage pleasure in mutilating the bodies a bit, after they were dead. And Xephras had explained why they needed to die… although…

"What sort of business was he skimming from?" Roxas asked neutrally as they climbed back onto the roof.

"Drugs. That warehouse is a refinery for Mistake, don't you know?" Roxas felt most of his misgivings sliding away. He wasn't going to shed any tears for a drug dealer. On the other hand, he was working for a gang that seemed to be enforcing the decisions of the man who made money from all the drug dealers, whores and thieves in town. So what did that make him?

Roxas decided not to worry about it. He was only going to be here a short time anyway, and he'd done worse in his time as a Nobody. Much, much worse.

* * *

"How can you eat so much?" Roxas said, awed and a little grossed out. Axel was tearing into supper… and from the looks of it, he'd been eating all day. Axel grinned through a mouthful of bread.

"Doing blood magic all day is some serious burn. If I were fat this would be easier, but I'm not so I gotta eat." Axel worked through his third sandwich, finally slowing down a bit. "If a working blood witch stops eating, that's when you have to worry. I found five runes today!"

"That's nice." Roxas said, a little confused. "Axel… how does this blood magic work?" Axel grabbed a pickle and started to crunch it.

"Oh, well… blood magic is basically using the power of the body to do all kinds of stuff." He chewed thoughtfully, and started on the sandwich again. "You'd be amazed how much power you can get out of that, and the possibilities on what can be done are theoretically unlimited. If you search long enough in the pathways of blood, you can find the right runes to do anything." Axel shrugged. "But the search eats up a lot of energy, and then casting the spell can kill you if you don't have enough fat to burn. Fat's the only safe thing to use up on major spells. Blood works well on small stuff."

"So you're… converting your body into magical energy?" Roxas had never heard of anything like that. "Isn't there any way to get power from outside yourself?" Axel paused a moment in his eating.

"…Yeah. It's really easy to get power from outside yourself." Roxas was startled by the sad, haunted look in Axel's eyes. "Just hurt or kill someone. And that's why blood magic isn't respected anymore. It's why my family went from being landowners to paupers. The old blood kings were good for a while, but then they started stealing power to stay young and strong forever…" Axel shook his head. "Taking power is illegal now, even if it's voluntary. The penalty is death."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Roxas said awkwardly, and Axel shrugged.

"It happened a long time ago. I just wish… well. We all have our crosses to bear, I guess. So how's your day been?"

"Not that interesting. We just killed a guy who'd been stealing drug money. And Albert mentioned something about me entering a tournament." Axel paused, blinking.

"Really? Now that would be an interesting idea. The bookies would never take you seriously, Albert could really clean up until they wise up to your keyblades. If he does that, could you tell me? I'd like to lay a few bets myself." Axel grinned, finishing off the last of his sandwich. "I'd love it if you knocked down the current tournament champion, too, he's a pompous snot rag. Likes to beat his girls." There was real contempt in Axel's tone at that. Roxas shrugged.

"I will if Albert thinks it's a good idea. Axel, who are these people exactly? They don't seem like any street gang I've ever seen." When Roxas thought of street gangs, he thought of kids… or tough, ruthless men who dealt drugs and defended their turf. Albert and his crew didn't seem like that. Or rather, they were tough and ruthless but seemed to take orders from other people. Mr. Tall, Mr. Big, Mr. Grey… Roxas doubted any of those were real names. And Xephras and the others all seemed to be respected, not really feared. It was a touch odd.

"Oh, well. They're actually the enforcement arm of the Organization." Axel said casually, as if it was nothing special. "It's just easiest to call them a gang since they all hang out in that warehouse. If anyone gets out of line, they get sent to deal with it. They also run the protection racket and own quite a bit of property in their own right… paying the proper dues to the Organization, of course. Albert's smart. He invests the pension fund through the Organization's accountants." Roxas blinked, taken aback. Axel made it all sound like a business. Which he supposed it was, technically.

"And what does the Organization do?" He asked cautiously. He could already guess a lot of it, but there was probably more. Axel grinned.

"A better question is what don't they do? The Organization runs most of the whorehouses in the red light district, they handle all the drug trade, the protection rackets, and they're deeply involved in some of the unions. But they try to stay out of politics, in general, although it's a lesser known fact that the King, if he wants, can get in touch with the Organization. Usually to threaten them into something." Roxas lifted his eyebrows sardonically at that.

"If I were the King, I'd be worried about an Organization like that." He didn't think most rulers would be happy with such a strong internal rival for power. Axel shook his head.

"The King has resources. He's blessed by Aerina, the Goddess of Winter Winds and Aulin, the God of Summer. The priesthood is square behind him and anyone higher than a chaplain seems to be incorruptible. The Organization has tried. Only a complete fool would try to challenge the King, and the Organization doesn't have any fools in high places."

"Are you about done?" Roxas said abruptly. He was tired of watching Axel eat, and he'd gotten done his meal ages ago. Axel blinked, looking down at the table. Almost everything was gone.

"I guess. Why, you got something you want to do?" Axel was a bit baffled. Roxas didn't have to stay and watch him. He'd been planning to search for a few more runes, then go to bed. Roxas just stared at him a moment… at the bright red hair, the tanned skin, and the gorgeous green eyes. A lighter shade, and there were faint differences, but it would be so easy to pretend.

_This is a terrible idea. I shouldn't use him like this._ Roxas stood, walking around and sitting on the edge of the table beside Axel, reaching up to touch his cheek, trailing a finger down to the corner of his mouth. Axel gasped softly, and caught Roxas hand, staring at him with wanting green eyes. _He wants this… but I'll be using him. Sora, where are you?_ Roxas almost wanted the brunette to stop him, hold him back… but there was nothing. _I'm a Nobody. What does it matter._ He'd done worse, in his time, and this Axel could recover from a broken heart. Assuming he had any feelings besides lust anyway. For now, Roxas wanted to pretend.

They kissed, and Roxas was momentarily disappointed. It wasn't like kissing his pyro lover. The Axel he had known had been aggressive, demanding and harsh with his kisses. This one was… demanding, yet gentle. The way he imagined Axel's kisses might have been, if he'd actually had a heart to give. That thought suddenly enflamed him, and Roxas moaned into Axel's mouth, reaching down to undo his belt.

"Eager, huh?" Axel murmured into his ear, and stood, pulling him up. "Oh, Roxas… c'mon, let's take this to my bedroom." He was a bit surprised by how fast this was going, but he wasn't going to question it. Roxas was the sweetest, most desirable boy he'd seen in a long time, and he wasn't going to pass this by.

They made love that night many times, drawing it out like shining beads of pleasure, until they were both covered in sweat and exhausted. And when Roxas cried out Axel's name, it wasn't for the man he was holding. But that was not something Axel could know.


	4. White Lies Aren't

"You know, I'm jealous of you."

"Huh?" Roxas pulled himself out of his reflections, blinking. He'd been here almost a week, and was getting increasingly antsy to return to the Destiny Islands. He was starting to have flashes of what he thought were Sora's memories, and they were giving him the feeling that Riku was in dire danger. That didn't mean a lot to Roxas, but it clearly meant a whole lot to Sora and Sora's need was driving him. But Axel was working all day on the blood magic and eating so much food, it was amazing… and not gaining any weight. In fact, Roxas thought he was losing weight. That was disturbing.

"I'm jealous of you living with Axel." Xephras said patiently, and Roxas blinked at him, startled. The man was smiling but didn't seem to be joking. "I've always rather liked him, but he doesn't like me. I think the smiling puts him off. But what can you do? Oh well, always the bridesmaid and never the bride… I suppose I'm just fated to die a virgin." Roxas blinked at him again, wondering where all this was coming from, and Xephras laughed at the confusion on his face. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just in my happy place." Xephras walked off humming, and Roxas stared after him, confused. He turned to look at Mina who was standing sitting on a stool, sharpening a knife.

"Was he kidding?" He asked her, and she glanced up from her work.

"No, he was serious. He's loved Axel forever." She examined her knife as Roxas frowned. "But don't worry about it. Axel doesn't return it, and he knows that."

"Oh. That's… really sad." Roxas suddenly felt bad for the purple haired man, and blinked at the unexpected emotion. Was Sora waking up? Mina shrugged.

"It is what it is. He wouldn't be a virgin if he'd unbend enough to just sleep with someone, or hire a whore, but I swear part of his mind is stuck at ten. I think that keyblade warped him. Don't worry about it, Roxas." Roxas nodded, but he couldn't help but worry about it. Xep was weird, but nice and it felt like he could be a good friend.

But Roxas wasn't staying that long anyway, so what did it matter? Sighing, he called in his keyblades and began to practice. He would be entering the tournament tomorrow, and Albert would be betting big on him. He wasn't worried, but wanted to be at his best.

* * *

Axel looked blankly at the page where he had written the final blood rune.

"Shit, how could I be so stupid?" He ran a hand through his hair and began to pace around the room. He felt strained, and knew he had burnt off all the fat he owned, plus a bit of muscle and plenty of blood. He was just barely keeping the drain in check by eating constantly. "Ebony and ivory, fuck!" He slammed a hand down on the table, making the water in the bowl slop onto the table.

Ebony and ivory runes were a step beyond the blood runes. They came from the place where darkness and light intersected with blood, making a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

He had known when he started searching for runes that he would need at least one or two of the ebony and ivory runes. Now that he was done with the blood, he knew he would need more like six. Of each. It was enough to make a grown man cry. If he was going to do this even remotely safely, he'd need to spend a week on each rune. So six weeks minimum, on top of the first week he'd spent on the blood runes. That blew his time estimate of a month completely out of the water, and he didn't want to disappoint Roxas. But he couldn't possibly get the runes that quickly unless he opened up his reservoirs of power.

"And then how will I cast the damn thing?" Axel snarled to himself, almost despairing. This was the kind of spell that should have required an entire circle of blood witches… or a single death. And Axel wasn't going to kill someone for his magic. Besides being illegal, it was immoral and completely wrong. He simply couldn't do it. "Shit, what do I do?" Tapping his fingers on the table, he tried to think.

In a lot of ways, it had been a wonderful week. He spent his days on the blood magic, which was draining but intoxicating, then spent equally intoxicating nights with Roxas. Axel was sure he was in love. He wanted to show Roxas such tenderness… he could listen to Roxas talk forever, just sit watching him, and be so happy. He'd never felt this way before in his life.

But he wasn't sure Roxas felt the same. In fact, he'd noticed a few troubling things, although he'd done his best to force them out of his mind. But now he faced them squarely, and bit his lip as he thought. Roxas… didn't really like to cuddle after sex. Axel had tried, but it was like holding a board. Roxas couldn't relax until he let go, as if the cuddling was wrong. Axel had tried to just accept that as something Roxas did, but it was troubling. Even worse, really, was the way Roxas sometimes shut him down. Axel didn't really expect Roxas to be fascinated by stories of his life as a carpenter and blood witch, but… well. Maybe he was just expecting too much. But Roxas was impatient with him a lot. It was easier to just listen to the blond.

Axel almost felt like Roxas didn't like him very much. And that was a thought that was very, very hard to contemplate. After all, why would the blond be warming his bed every night, showing such passion, if he didn't even _like_ him?

"Maybe it's because I look like my cousin." He sighed, glancing at the stack of runes, and suddenly froze. "Fuck." Could that really be the reason? Was his cousin dead or something, and Roxas was just screwing him as a substitute? Axel hesitated, before picking up his knife and cutting himself, using the blood to scrawl a quick rune on his own skin. It was a really stupid thing to do, his mama had told him to never, ever do it. But he just had to know.

It was a spell that could not only detect lies… it would let him hear what the other person was really thinking. It was a short term spell, and his mama had told him it was good for when you thought a merchant was cheating you. But she had told him to never, ever use it in intimate situations. That there were some truths that just shouldn't be known. But he had to know.

Roxas would be home soon, and Axel would be able to get the answer to his question.

* * *

Roxas almost sighed as he came home and saw that Axel was waiting for him. Axel really was a great guy. Kind, considerate and putting a lot of effort into helping him. But Axel wasn't… Axel. He wasn't the pyro he knew, the guy he could talk to about weapons and missions and all the dark things in life. Despite being a blood witch and healing criminals, this Axel led a sunny life. He even seemed to enjoy being a carpenter, and Roxas couldn't think of anything more boring. Axel also enjoyed parks, horse races and mystery novels. None of which interested Roxas at all. But it would only be another couple weeks. Then he would be gone home and they would be able to naturally part, and Axel could find someone more suited to him. Besides, he would hopefully reintegrate with Sora, and Sora loved Riku.

"Hey Roxas." Axel hugged him for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair, tilting his head up for a tender kiss. Roxas returned it, wishing that it was less tender, more rough, with the bite of teeth. But asking for that would have just distressed Axel. He didn't have an unkind bone in his body, it seemed. "I was thinking, and I just had to ask… do you love me?" Axel asked quietly, gazing into Roxas face.

"Of course I do." Roxas lied. It was a white lie, though… Axel would never know the difference when he was gone. Axel stood very still for a moment, his green eyes brightening with what looked oddly like held back tears.

"Yeah, of course you do." Axel said, his voice a bit ragged, and smiled faintly. Then he waved at the kitchen. "I already ate. If you want anything, I'll be in the work room." Axel quickly left the room, Roxas staring after him.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he had said something wrong, but he couldn't imagine what.

* * *

Axel looked blankly into his bowl of water and blood, running a hand through his red hair. When he'd asked Roxas his question, he'd expected a simple no… or maybe that Roxas loved his cousin. He hadn't expected what he'd heard.

_No, I love Riku._ Axel closed his eyes, a tear falling into the bowl. The whisper in his ear hadn't sounded like Roxas, oddly… but it didn't matter. It was the truth, not the lie Roxas had tried to give him, that he had heard.

"Oh mama, you were right. It hurts so much." Axel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself and try to decide what to do next. It was a bit counter-intuitive, but if Roxas had been telling the truth about loving him, Axel would have had to admit that he needed at least six weeks to finish the project. Because Roxas would have deserved to know the dangers involved.

But Roxas didn't love him. So it wasn't really his business what risks Axel was running. Axel thought for a moment, stirring the water with one finger. Why should he do this for someone who didn't care for him?

_Because I said I would. And because… I want to forget._ Axel stared into the water, and nodded to himself as he began the slow, pleasant yet very painful slide into the cool depths of ebony.

He would find the runes for Roxas and cast the spell, just as he had promised. And then… Axel would forget.


	5. Need and Death

_Pain pain please make it stop._

"_Riku, stop it, you're hurting me!" Laughter, hard hands, please let it stop._

_Understanding._

"_You're not Riku." Silver hair, bright aquamarine eyes, smiling at him. But the smile was all wrong…_

"_It took you long enough to figure that out." Teeth grazing his neck as the pain started again. "You can cry for him if you like. He can't hear you."_

* * *

Roxas woke up with a gasp, disoriented. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was… or even who he was. But then it came back to him, and he reached over to touch Axel… and blinked when he realized the blood witch wasn't there.

"Axel?" He glanced around, hesitating… then shook his head and lay back on the bed. He wanted to hide in Axel's arms for a moment, but that was coming from Sora… and it wasn't Axel's arms he wanted.

_Riku raped Sora, but it wasn't him, it was something controlling him. _Roxas clicked his teeth together, looking at the dark ceiling. _No wonder he's traumatized, yet desperate to get back._ Sora was forgiving and truly loved Riku. Yet, he couldn't handle what had happened… so he'd retreated, leaving Roxas to take care of things and giving Roxas an intense desire to get home. It all made sense. The only thing that didn't make sense was…

Where was Axel? Roxas frowned, prying himself out of bed. Axel should have been in bed. He walked out of the bedroom, seeing in the dark easily, and opened the door to the workroom. Axel wasn't there, but Roxas frowned at the smell and the feelings he was getting from the iron bowl Axel used in his work. The smell was faint, but… it smelled like freshly spilled blood. And the bowl radiated darkness, as if it had been used to access the darkness recently. Roxas was intimately familiar with the way that felt. Then he noticed the ladder leaning against one of the walls, leading to a trapdoor. Was Axel on the roof? Roxas hesitated, then started climbing up the ladder. He wanted to know what Axel was up to.

The roof of the house was very flat, and Roxas quickly got his bearings, finding Axel. He was sitting on the edge of the roof, looking up at the stars. Roxas walked up beside the redhead, sitting beside him.

"What are you doing?" He finally asked, when it was clear Axel wasn't going to speak. Axel turned his head to look at him, smiling faintly, and Roxas stared at him. His skin was pale, almost ghostly in the moonlight, and his green eyes were burning with darkness. He'd never seen his pyro Axel like that… but it was incredibly sexy. For the first time, this Axel seemed to have a dangerous edge.

"Just watching the stars." Axel said, his voice rough with disuse. "I've always liked watching the stars. I watched them with my mother, and my pyro cousin." Roxas looked up at the stars, twinkling above them. They were beautiful… although not as beautiful as the man beside him. For a moment, he wished he could love Axel. But Sora's heart was already given to Riku, and Roxas had no heart to give. "You watched the stars with him too?"

"Sometimes." Roxas said quietly, remembering. Axel had always liked the stars, although he had preferred the dawn more. He glanced over and met Axel's eyes, seeing that beautiful, wild darkness again. What had Axel been doing to cause that? Before Roxas even realized he was moving, his lips were pressed against Axel's. He could smell blood on Axel's skin, but it was… good. A dangerous smell, like the dirt and blood after a mission… Axel reacted, pulling Roxas into a rough embrace, his teeth grazing the blonde's neck as he groaned.

"I love you so damn much," Axel gasped out, almost sobbing, and Roxas blinked as he felt hot tears against his neck. _Why is he crying?_

Then Axel did something that was wonderful, painful and put stars behind his eyes, and Roxas forgot how to think at all.

* * *

"That was incredible!" Xephras was grinning widely, excited by what was happening, and Roxas smiled. "Well done!"

It was the second day of the tournament, and the bookies still hadn't wised up to him. Albert had already made an obscene amount of money off of it, although that was going to taper off as soon as the bookies realized what was happening and adjusted the odds.

The tournament had turned out to be a far more serious matter than Roxas had expected. It was all live weapons, and deaths seemed to be extremely common, although if your opponent dropped their weapon and raised their hands, you were supposed to spare them. There was no actual rule that you had to, but poor sportsmanship got you booed. Roxas had already killed one man, but had managed to disarm the other and knock him on his ass. He was glad, since he'd spotted an anxious woman and two young children in the sidelines watching. That man had actually been rather good, and Roxas wondered what he did for a living.

Now he was on his third bout, and Albert's streak was probably about to end. This man was favored as a possible winner in the competition, and if Roxas beat him the bookies would be wising up. Roxas blinked and stiffened as the man entered the ring… he had beautiful red hair, green eyes and tattoos on his cheeks. Although, fortunately for Roxas peace of mind, his hair was long and in a pony tail, not spiky.

"Do all blood witches look like that?" He muttered to Xephras, who nodded.

"All of them. I've never seen a blood witch or witchblood without the red hair, green eyes and tattoos. Freaky, no? Especially the tats. You'd have to ask Axel about that." Xephras glanced at the sheet he'd gotten. "This guy is named Rahl. I think that girl is with him." Xephras pointed to the sidelines, where a pretty girl with the same red hair was watching with anxious green eyes. "If he's good, try not to kill him. We could use a few more blood witches in the Organization, if they're up to it." Roxas nodded. It was common knowledge that Albert watched the tournament for good prospects to join his gang. And blood witches were always tremendously useful to the Organization for their healing abilities. Axel was doing that for Albert, but almost all the big names in the Organization also had pet blood witches.

As soon as their weapons crossed, Roxas knew that the man was good… very good. Too good. He would have trouble taking him down without killing him. He finally managed it, but only just… Oblivion cut deep into Rahl's side, and the man fell to his knees with a gasp, dropping his weapon and raising his hands.

"Yield." He said, his face tight with pain and blood on his lips. Roxas stepped back, nodding acceptance as the girl leapt from the gallery down into the dirt.

"Rahl!" She ran to his side, and pulled his shirt away from the wound. Roxas winced… he'd hit a lung with that last strike, and the injury looked very bad. She ignored him completely, though, slashing her own hand and quickly writing a pattern on Rahl's skin in her blood. Roxas blinked as she gasped, the blood flaring and vanishing into ash. He could literally see her lose weight, her clothing going from comfortable but tight to lose on her skin. And the wound closed instantly. Rahl coughed for a moment, wiping the blood off his lips, then smiled at her.

"Thanks, Lily." Rahl took a deep breath, then looked at Roxas. "Good fight."

"Thanks. If you're looking for work, come see Albert at the warehouse on Denby Street." Roxas said quietly, and Rahl hesitated, then nodded.

"Might do that." Then they were gently shepherded out of the ring as the next battle got started. Xephras clapped Roxas on the back, grinning.

"Good job! That's it for today. Want to come to a tavern to celebrate? The whole gang is getting together. Hey, bring Axel too! He needs to get out of the house more." Roxas smiled… Xephras good cheer was infectious.

"Sounds good, I'll go get him. I was wondering though. Why aren't you doing this?" Xephras was an excellent keyblader and would surely stand a good chance of winning the competition. Xephras grinned.

"You're forgetting, the point isn't to win, it's to make a lot of money on the bets!" More seriously. "I did do this, when I was twelve and first hooked up with Albert. Made him a ton of money that year, but no one would bet against me the second. It's how it goes."

"Ah." That did make sense. "Well, I'll go collect Axel. What tavern are we meeting at? The Smiling God?" That was the usual place Albert's people hung out after work. Xephras nodded, still smiling.

"Of course, where else? Later Roxas!" Xephras waved as Roxas walked off, and Roxas smiled to himself. Once you got used to the smiling, Xephras really was fun to be around.

* * *

"It's a bit hot for all those clothes," Roxas remarked to Axel, who smiled tiredly. Axel was wearing two shirts and a sweater, and Roxas couldn't figure out why. It was far too hot outside for that, although Axel seemed mostly unaffected.

"I have my reasons." Roxas frowned, but didn't pursue it as he opened the door to the tavern.

"Hey Roxas!" Albert waved, and Roxas paused as he saw Rahl was with them. The red haired man smiled and nodded to him, though, and he nodded back. "Axel… you look like shit! Haven't you been eating?" Roxas blinked as he suddenly realized what the clothing was for… to conceal how much weight Axel had really lost. And despite it, Albert had noticed. Axel shrugged with a small smile.

"I've been eating a ton, ask Roxas. It's just hard to keep it on these days." The girl with Rahl, Lily, frowned but said nothing as Axel helped himself to the bar snacks.

"Hmph! Well, let's try to feed you up." Albert gestured to one of the serving wenches, and she quickly took his order… plenty of potato bites, chicken wings and bread and vegetables with dipping sauce. Axel grinned and started to eat as soon as it arrived, his appetite as voracious as always.

Soon, Roxas was chatting with Mina and a few others about the days events, as Axel and Lily shared the fine points of blood magic. Rahl watched them with a smile and amused himself by putting out and lighting the candles on the table. Roxas had to smile that… it was something his pyro Axel would have done.

"So you're a witchblood?" Roxas asked him conversationally, and Rahl nodded.

"Yep. Too much fire in me for the blood magic." Roxas nodded, then tilted his head to one side.

"But you still have the tattoos?" Rahl lifted his eyebrows at him, then glanced at Axel, who shrugged.

"I'm surprised your friend didn't tell you." Roxas blushed faintly as he realized why Axel probably hadn't… Axel had tried to tell him a few stories about being a blood witch, but he hadn't been in the mood to listen and Axel had taken the hint. "They're a rite of passage thing. We all get them at puberty. The girls get them too, but they're in a place that you don't get to see unless you're really friendly." Rahl grinned, running a hand of Lily's back as she laughed. "There's the blood rosette, too, but only the blood witches get that. You've probably seen it, but didn't know what it was. It's a brand." Roxas suddenly blinked as he remembered the scar on Axel's shoulder. He hadn't thought much of it… it was clearly an old burn… but now that he remembered, it did have a pattern like a blood rune. "Being a blood witch or witchblood is almost a separate culture, in a lot of ways. I sometimes think that's why we get so much grief."

"Probably. People are afraid of things they don't understand, especially in small towns." Axel said, and there was a dry grief in his eyes that made Roxas look down at the table. "It's a lot better here than where I grew up, that's for sure."

"Yeah, we like it. We got driven off our estate, is that what happened to you?" Rahl asked curiously, and Axel nodded with a sad smile. "Those idiots don't know what they'll be missing, without Lily to ensure good crops, good rain and deliver the babies." Rahl shook his head in disgust, but Lily sighed.

"I only wish I thought they'd realize what I did for them… but they'll more likely think I put a curse on them when we left." She shrugged. "Oh well. That's life. They would have deserved a good curse anyway." As they talked, Roxas caught Xephras eye, and blinked. Despite his constant smile, there was something… angry about the other keyblader. The look he was giving him wasn't entirely friendly.

When Roxas excused himself to find the bathroom, he wasn't really surprised to find Xephras following him. Or gripping his shoulder.

"We need to talk." Xephras said firmly, and Roxas frowned at him. Xephras stared at him a moment. "How many shirts is Axel wearing, under that sweater?"

"Two. What business is it of-oof!" Roxas grunted as Xephras suddenly slammed him to the wall, and was tempted to call in his keyblades. But he resisted the urge and just glared as Xephras leaned in. The other man wasn't smiling at all, for the first time he could remember.

"What in hell do you think you're doing? Don't you see how much weight he's lost? He can't maintain this kind of drain. You need to make him stop!" Xephras growled, and Roxas gritted his teeth. He knew how much weight Axel was losing, knew how bad he looked. But Sora's desperate need was driving him, and he couldn't afford to stop.

"Xephras, this is our business, not yours. Let go of me." He said harshly, and Xephras glared for a moment before slowly pulling his hands away. Then he winced, his hands going to the collar on his throat.

"Can't get upset, can't get upset. Happy place. Need my happy place." Xephras whispered to himself, and smiled again. Not a nice smile, but a smile. "Roxas… I hope you can live with yourself when he's gone. I really do." And Xephras walked away, leaving Roxas there.

Alone with thoughts of need and death.


	6. Prices Paid

Roxas panted harshly, groaning gutturally as Axel's hips dug into him, fingers closing on his shoulders with bruising force as he moved in and out in a harsh, barely tolerable rhythm.

Their lovemaking had turned almost violent in the past few days. Axel was crackling with a new power… it felt like the light, but it wasn't the kind of light Roxas had encountered before. This was a light that burned, pitiless and brutal, and it felt like it was going to burn them both away. It was certainly burning Axel away. Roxas had to struggle now to ignore how Axel looked… and in bed, the pain of bones digging into him was a constant reminder. But the pain felt good.

"Ah, ah… Axel!" Roxas gasped out, biting Axel in the shoulder and tasting the coppery blood, smelling the charnel scent on him. It was driving him wild, and Roxas groaned, tightening around Axel.

"Roxas." Axel growled his name and gripped his hips now, trying to push himself in harder, deeper. Roxas stared into his green eyes, flickering with light and darkness, and found his vision hazing with the brutal pleasure.

_I want to love him._ The thought was clear even in the pleasure haze. It made what heart he had ache. He wanted to love Axel so badly, to return the feeling the blood witch was giving him… and he couldn't. He just couldn't. All he could do was this, and Roxas dug his fingers into Axel's back as the redhead brought him over the edge, crying out as he came hard between them. Axel kept thrusting a few moments more, then released as well with a guttural, animal sound. To Roxas, it was unbearably sexy. Axel slowly pulled away from him, green eyes meeting blue.

"Love you Roxas." Axel said, his voice hoarse, and kissed Roxas roughly. Roxas returned it, gripping the red spikes of hair tightly.

"I…" _I wish I could love you._ But he couldn't, and for some reason he choked on the lie. Axel smiled crookedly and turned away from him… Roxas never liked to cuddle. Roxas watched him for a moment, saying nothing, and finally closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

What was there to say?

* * *

Axel looked down into his bowl of porridge… and knew he couldn't eat it. Or rather, he could, but digesting it at this point would take more energy than the food was worth. When you reached the end of the line, being a blood witch meant making some trade-offs. He'd burnt away every non-essential he could think of and some things that really weren't non-essential at all. But now he had to drag energy from places that should have been completely off limits. The function of all his organs had been reduced… including his digestive track.

"Axel? Aren't you going to eat that?" Roxas voice raised him from his reverie, and Axel looked up with a small smile.

"No. Don't think it would agree with me." His light, easy tone fooled neither of them and Roxas swallowed as he stood. "I'll get back to work." He was almost done. Just one more light rune, and the design would be complete. "We can probably cast the spell tonight, when you're done work." He started to walk away when Roxas' voice stopped him.

"Axel…" He turned his head to look back, and met sad blue eyes. _Tell me not to do this. Tell me to stop._ If he stopped right now, Lily might be able to repair the damage, although it would take months of bed rest. If Roxas only said the words…

Of course, he didn't.

"I'll see you later." Roxas dropped his gaze to his bowl of porridge, and Axel smiled crookedly.

"Yeah, later." He stepped back into his workroom to find the last light rune, and complete the designs.

He couldn't be done soon enough.

* * *

Roxas frowned as he walked home, ducking into an alleyway. Someone was following him. He could feel it, and it didn't feel like a kind regard. Suddenly he felt the air move behind him, and whirled, catching a keyblade against his in a clash of sparks.

"Xep?" Roxas stared at the other keyblade master. Xephras was still smiling, looking at Roxas through their blades, but it was a particularly unnerving smile and his eyes were bright. Xep yanked his blade back, circling him, and Roxas turned to follow his movements.

"You're going to kill him." Xephras said conversationally. "I snuck into his house, spied on him as he worked. Ebony and ivory runes. He'll die to cast your spell. But that doesn't mean anything to you, does it? He doesn't matter to you." Roxas swallowed as Xephras confirmed what he had known, really. That Axel couldn't cast the spell without killing himself. "And he'll do it for you because he loves you. But I'm not going to let this happen. I'm not going to let you kill him." Then he attacked, his keyblade darting at Roxas' face.

The fight was like their first practice, but in deadly earnest. Roxas knew from the first clash of keyblades that Xephras was trying to kill him, and he had to return the favor. Sparks flew in the dark alleyway and the battle seemed to go on forever. Roxas gasped as Xephras sliced him in the side, but managed to trap the purple haired man's blade under Oathkeeper, Oblivion pointed at his chest.

"It's over, Xep. Go back to Albert. This is between me and Axel."

"No." Xephras said simply, and lunged at him with a dagger, trying to dodge Oblivion. Roxas reacted without thought and Xep halted abruptly, their faces only an inch apart. "…Oh." Roxas felt a sick horror as Xephras looked down at the keyblade impaling him through the guts. He didn't even seem surprised as he looked up at Roxas, his eyes still bright. "Always knew I'd die a virgin." His eyes went unfocused then, as he gazed over Roxas shoulder at something only he could see. "Happy place?" He asked questioningly, then slid off the keyblade with a sigh. Roxas watched, paralyzed, as the blood spread on the dark stones.

"Oh Xep." He whispered to himself. Xephras looked so small now, crumpled on the ground, his collar glittering in the moonlight. They could have been friends. They were friends, for a short time. But there was no friendship for Xep now. Nothing for him now. Roxas looked down at the blood on his keyblade, and made it vanish. "Sora, I hope you won't be able to remember this when you wake up. All the horrible things I'm doing for you." And he turned and walked away, Sora's burning need driving him. He needed to get back to the Destiny Islands… no matter what the cost.

* * *

"Axel?" Roxas stepped into the work room… and swallowed.

It had changed a great deal in just one day. Axel was standing behind the table, smiling sadly as his eyes burned with glorious darkness and aching light. On the walls surrounding him, he had written the blood runes. It couldn't have just been blood… it would have taken too much… but it looked like blood, and it looked disturbingly fresh. On the table in front of him, iron wire had been twisted into a dozen runes, each connected to the others in a circle… and connected to a final rune in the centre of the circle. Roxas could feel the darkness and light drifting off the iron, the brutal potential that lay within the pattern. It was horrible and wonderful and he knew without question that it could do what Axel wanted it to do. It could bring him back to the Destiny Islands.

But only at a price.

"Axel…" Roxas desperately wanted Axel to stop. Desperately wanted him to refuse to go on. Desperately wanted to demand that he stop… but that he could not do. The words seemed to stick in his throat. And Axel only smiled.

"Don't worry, Roxas. Everyone has to die someday." Roxas' breath caught in his throat as Axel finally voiced the truth. He sounded… amused. There was a strange, fey exhilaration in his eyes as he laid his hand down on the rune in the centre of the circle. "Ready?"

"Yes." Roxas whispered, feeling Sora's need like a throbbing in his mind. Axel's hand tightened on the rune, and Roxas could suddenly smell blood. The scent was overwhelming, and Axel's face twisted slightly as blood began to drip and pool beneath his hand. The blood slid over the wires, and as Roxas watched it coated the runes… which began to glow with light and darkness. The power kept building until it was nearly painful, and Roxas stared at the runes… until Axel's soft gasp sent his gaze up. Roxas went pale as he saw what was happening to the blood witch. "Axel!" Livid bruises were spreading under his skin, as if he was being beaten… but nothing was touching him. He was bleeding under the skin, and as Roxas watched, horrified, the bruises spread with unnatural swiftness. A red mist was springing up, rubies shot with black and white, but he could still make out Axel. The redhead blinked, and bloody tears slid down his pale skin. Skin that was bruising even as Roxas watched.

"Goodbye Roxas." Was the last thing he heard before he fell into a tunnel of rubies, ivory and onyx.


End file.
